1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to knee prostheses. More specifically, some implementations of the current invention relate to systems and methods for providing a knee prosthesis that includes a femoral component and a modular stem. In some cases, the described prosthesis allows the modular stem to be inserted into an intramedullary canal of a femur, and further allows the femoral component to then be either rolled onto a resected portion of the femur, or to be slid onto the resected portion at an angle that intersects a longitudinal axis of a distal portion of the femur.
2. Background and Related Art
Orthopedic surgeons are experiencing a proliferation of knee replacement surgeries. In this regard, the demand for knee replacements appears substantially driven by the fact that there are few medical procedures that are able to return as much quality of life as does joint replacement.
Moreover, the increased need for knee replacements implicates the need for durable and long lasting artificial knee devices that provide for and allow full, functional flexion. That is, there is a great need for research that provides new medical advances on the overall function and performance of knee prostheses, and improves corresponding surgical materials and technologies related to such devices.
Often, improvements to knee prostheses correspondingly increase with demand. Thus, some currently-available knee prostheses mimic characteristics of the normal knee more than those previously used. Unfortunately, many conventional knee prostheses that are available today still have significant shortcomings.
Among such shortcomings, is the fact that some conventional knee prostheses are unable to achieve deep knee flexion, also known as full functional flexion. Indeed, although some currently available knee prostheses allow for knee flexion (i.e., bending) of more than 130 degrees from full limb extension (zero degrees being when the patient's knee is fully extended and straight); some such prostheses do not allow patients to flex from full extension to 160 degrees and beyond.
As another example, some conventional femoral prostheses require a relatively large amount of bone to be removed from the distal end of the femurs to which the prostheses are attached. As a result, such prostheses may involve unnecessary operation time, may increase recovery time, may weaken the femur, and may otherwise complicate the replacement procedure and recovery.
As still another example, some femoral prostheses place relatively large loads on the distal end of the femur, and do little to dissipate such loads. As a result, some such prostheses may do little to prevent fractures from forming and spreading in the femur (e.g., at stress risers created as a consequence of bone cuts that were made to allow the femoral prosthesis to be seated on the femur).
As yet another example, although some femoral prostheses comprise a stem to strengthen the femur's distal end, such stems often place significant limits on the physical characteristics of the femoral prosthesis that can be used therewith. Additionally, in some cases in which a femoral prosthesis includes a stem, the stem can also limit the manner in which the femoral prosthesis can be attached to a femur.
Thus, while techniques currently exist that relate to knee prostheses, challenges still exist. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace current techniques with other techniques.